It’s hard not to see all the devastation that California is experiencing with these deadly wildfires, but in this time of heartache, heroes are stepping up.

One man in particular helped an elderly woman escape her home in Magalia, CA.

Margaret Newsum, 93 years old, had just said goodbye to her caregiver for the day when she started hearing about the deadly wildfire terrorizing the nearby town of Paradise, CA.  With no way to escape on her own, Margaret feared for her life.

That’s when Dane Ray Cumming, a sanitation driver, was finishing up his rounds. His boss had told him to cut his route short when the wildfire started spreading through Butte County, but Dane knew he had some “older” residents on his route and just wasn’t to be sure no one was left behind.

Margaret recalls, “I went out and was standing on the front porch when this great, big, green monster drove up, and [Dane] was emptying the garbage.” She continues, “Newsum recalled to the station. “He said, ‘You’re not staying here. You’ve got to get out of here. Why are you still here?’ “

Dane tried to reach Margaret’s caregiver, but couldn’t, so he took matters into his own hands. It’s against company protocol to have non-employees in the work vehicles, but that wasn’t going to stop Dane from helping an elderly woman in need.

With the help of a few other people nearby, Dane got Margaret into the truck, fastened her seat belt, and made sure she was safe and secure.

As Dane and Margaret continued on their 5 hour ride to safety, the new friends shared details about their lives.

(People)